GUE/NGL MEP Kartika Liotard described how last week's European Council agreement on the EU budget advocates "pumping money into expensive prestige projects like ITER and Galileo at the expense of social budgets that benefit the least well off ".

She was speaking at a special 'Conference of Presidents' meeting which saw European Parliament Group Presidents and MEPs meet European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and Commission President José Manuel Barroso to discuss the multiannual financial framework (MFF) talks.

Liotard added: "Very little has survived for the elderly or for young people looking to get into training, for example. Furthermore, CAP subsidies that encourage increases in production in turn encourage intensive farming which is bad for both the environment and small farmers feeling the pinch. It is unacceptable that environmental concerns are put on the backburner. The GUE/NGL wants a more social and greener budget and money must be better spent. We must move forward with climate negotiations."

Addressing Van Rompuy, she said: "We want help to get straight to citizens - I can't see that in your plan. You need to revise it significantly."